Garment-gripping sleeve for hanger



Sept. 15, 1959 I. M. BROTHERS GARMENT-GRIPPING SLEEVE FOR HANGER Filed on. so. 1956 IN V ENTOR. M. B ROTH E R8 A TTORNEY United rates Patent 2,904,233 GARMENT-GRIPPING SLEEVE FOR HANGER Irma M. Brothers, Oakland, Calif.

Application October 30, 1956, Serial No. 619,254 1 Claim. (Cl. 22388) This invention relates to improvements in devices adapted to be applied to garment hangers for keeping garments from slipping off the hangers.

Practically everybody is well aware of the deficiencies of the ordinary types of both wire and wooden or plastic coat-hangers. Not only sheer blouses and wide-necked dresses, but even mens sweaters and coats tend to fall off if these hangers are tilted or moved even slightly. The problem is not confined to the closets in homes and hotels; merchants have a great deal of trouble with the garments hung in their crowded racks tending to slip off and fall to the floor when the garments and their hangers are removed or replaced. With sheer fabrics, such as silk and nylon, the problem is especially great.

Many attempts have been made to solve the problem, and the use of rubber sleeves or nibs around the hangers has been proposed, as in Jacobs Patent No. 2,667,293 and Dubersteins Patent 1,461,442. But the problem was not solved, and the garments still slipped off, even when these sleeves were used. Also, some of these hanger sleeves had long projections that tended to bulge out small portions of the hung garments so that when they were worn these portions bulged out and looked bad. Furthermore, these long projections tended to tear the clothes when they were removed from the hanger.

I have solved this problem by providing an inexpensive rubber sleeve of novel design. When my new sleeve is put on near the ends of the hanger, it will prevent the garments from slipping off. The key to its success is my provision of novel multiple gripping fingers that project out at all directions from the outside surface of the sleeve and engage the garments.

Thus, some of the objects of this invention are to provide a device that keeps garments from slipping off hangers, that is inexpensive to produce, that is adapted to fit various sizes and types of hangers, and that does not cause unattractive bulges in the garments or tend to tear them when they are taken off the hanger.

The invention, broadly considered, comprises a rubber or synthetic rubber sleeve member, preferably molded to a generally cylindrical shape and adapted to slip over a conventional hanger. The sleeves outer surface is provided with projecting soft knobs that extend in every direction. Preferably, the sleeve member is between and 2" long and the knobs stick out for between and A.

My invention is well adapted for use with display hangers for merchants, preventing the garments from slipping off when the hangers are removed from or replaced on crowded racks and preventing hangers dropping out of garments when the garments are carelessly thrown over a salespersons arm. They are also valuable for wholesale salesmen who display garments in showrooms and who, when traveling, carry the clothes in a trunk or garment bag. It is very helpful in miladys wardrobe, especially for wide-necked garments of all types and for sheer nylons and silks. It also helps to keep the shoulders of various garments in place on ice hangers, including mens and boys jackets and coats as well as womens suit coats. In fact, it is useful for countless types of garments and in innumerable situations.

An'important advantage of the garment-gripping sleeve of this invention is that it can be applied to both plastic and wire hangers and in any position and that itsv garmentgripping knobs still project out in the effective directions.

Another advantage of the invention is that the garmentgripping knobs are small enough so that they do not cause any bulge in the material, yet they are large enough to provide the friction that prevents the garments from sliding off the hangers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of two preferred embodiments, given by way of example.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a conventional wire'coat-hanger to which has been applied two garmentgripping sleeves embodying the principles of my invention, the outline of the upper part of a garment supported on the hanger being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken in section along the line 22 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View on an enlarged scale of one end of the coat-hanger of Fig. 1 showing one garmentgripping sleeve.

Fig. 4 is a view on a reduced scale generally similar to Fig. 1 but showing a plastic hanger on which are mounted a pair of sleeves of a modified form, also embodying my. invention.

Fig. 5' is a view in perspective of a sleeve of the type shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view like Fig. 3, showing the sleeve of Fig. 5 installed on one end of a wire hanger.

The garment gripping device shown in Figs. 1 through 3 comprises a generally cylindrical rubber sleeve 10, preferably strengthened by a rib 11 at each end. (After it has been on a hanger for a while, the sleeve 10 often becomes oval or elliptical, and it may be made this Way in the first place. The important thing is that each sleeve is provided with multiple gripping fingers or soft, yieldable knobs 12 that are arranged to project out in all directions around the periphery of the cylindrical sleeve 10. Preferably, the multiple gripping fingers 12 are staggered relative to each other. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3, there are three rows 13, 14, and 15 of fingers 12, each row going around the sleeve 10, with the center row 14 having its fingers 12 staggered relatively to the fingers 12 in the outer two rows 13 and 15. Fig. 1 shows a pair of these sleeves 10 installed on a wire hanger 20, the installation being made simply by stretching each sleeve around corner ends 21 formed over the sloping upper edge 22 and the generally horizontal edge 23, usually resulting in a little bowing-in 24 of the lower edge 23. It then holds very firmly and will not come off unless purposely removed.

The sleeve 10 should be at least A" long and may be as long as 2", a length of about 1 having proved the most satisfactory. The multiple gripping fingers 12 can be square, conical, cylindrical, or pyramidal; they may have a rounded top or any other shape that provides suitable multiple gripping means projecting out in all directions. Each finger 12 should be at least long and should be no longer than A", a length of about being ideal. This length of the multiple gripping fingers 12 provides, on the one hand, suflicient frictional engagement with the article of clothing to prevent its slipping off and, on the other hand, a soft body and resilient surfaces that do not cause bulges and do not tear the articles of clothing. In fact, a very delicate dress 25 can be taken off the hanger 16 without danger of being torn. Howedges 22, 23 of'the hanger 20. The engagement alongthe sides 27 adds greatly to the holding power.

If desired, perforations 28 may be provided through the sleeve at various points, to thin the rubber material, save rubber, and to make it easier to stretch the sleeve 10 material. However, this is not necessary and in many instances is not desirable, as the material can, instead, be made of slightly thinner rubber. The sleeve 30 shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 has rims 31 and multiple gripping fingers 32 just like the rims 11 and fingers 12 of the sleeve 16 but no perforations 28.

Either type of sleeve 10 or 30 can be installed on a plastic hanger 35 as well as the wire one 20. All that is necessary is to take the cylindrical sleeve 10 or 30, stretch it, and insert the ends 21 or 36 of the hanger 20 or 35 through it. The sleeve 10 or 30 will stretch to accommodate the increased length and the stretching will hold it in place when installed. It can be put on as high as may be desired but the position shown in the drawings is considered ideal. Once the sleeve 10 or 30 is in place, any article of clothing 25 or 40 may be hung without damage, the multiple gripping fingers 12 projecting out both vertically and horizontally to engage the article of clothing 24 or 40 no matter in which direction the sleeve 10 or 30 was inserted on the hanger 20 or 35. In any event, the article of clothing engages the projecting gripping fingers 12, the tendency to slip olT the hanger is thereby counteracted.

As will be observed in Figs. 1, 3 and 6, the relatively thin stretchable rubber sleever readily accommodates itself to the opposed upper and lower angularly disposed edges of a garment hanger, with one end of the sleeve being of greater 'vertical extent than the other end and in which position, the inner row of yieldable fingers mation herein are purely illustrative and are not terially assist those of the outer rows in sustaining a garment on the hanger.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will sug gest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the descripintended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

An article for retaining garments on hangers, comprising a stretchable normally cylindrical elongated rubber sleeve adapted to receive and grip an end portion of a hanger and having a reenforcing rib on each end thereof, the sleeve being provided with three rows of circumferentially spaced fingers and which rows are each in a plane normal to the axis of the sleeve, said rows of fingers including a row adjacent each rib and a row intermediate same, the fingers being unitary with and pro-- jecting radially outwardly from the sleeve with those in said rows adjacent the ribs being aligned longitudinally of the sleeve and those in said intermediate row being in staggered relation to those in the rows adjacent the flanges, and the fingers having relatively straight side portions terminating in semi-spherical garment engageable free end portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,461,442 Duberstein July 10, 1923 1,484,534 Rauch et a1. Feb. 19, 1924 7 2,667,293 Jacob Jan. 26, 1954 V FOREIGN PATENTS 219,289 Great Britain Nov. 13, 1924 

